Category: UNA build & projects

There is no love lost between sailors and powerboaters (forget jet skeeters). And so I know this post will be met with some derision by the purists. I get it, but how much sailing do they enjoy from their armchairs anyway?

UNA has been, and remains, my favorite boat. So little air moves her. Still, there are slick calm periods that can take the shine off a cruise. Long distances can become infinite when the wind quits. Perhaps my oars aren’t as optimal as they could be. I suspect I didn’t slim the shafts down for enough flex. That can be corrected. To date my average rowing speed for any length of time been sub 2 knots. UNA is a sailboat first. Most of those I sail with have motors, are determined to get to “point B” and relying on a cordial tow when the wind quits can try all involved. I either lose friends, find some pure sail-and-oar guys or find a compromise.

You see where this is going? Yep, I designed and built a motor mount for UNA. The plans showed a motor well. I elected not to build that early on. What started as a sketch melded into a plywood prototype that was adjusted and trimmed. A final piece was tooled in teak (I was confident in the solution).

planssection

Last week’s test run worked flawlessly.

prototype

stowed under seat

Advantages: there’s no well taking up storage aft or creating turbulence to an otherwise smooth bottom. This engine “strut” follows the curve of the hull and can be stored against it in the gap outboard of the side seat or under the seat itself. Also, the engine can remain on the strut when anchored without interfering with my tent. And, once removed the threaded inserts do not snag anything. Leather pads under the thread protect the gunnel finish.

Disadvantages: a well keeps the prop in the water at all times. A good wake can create enough roll to lift the prop out of the water with the strut. To be used primarily in light to no wind conditions, this rarely is a problem.

Like this:

A couple years ago I watched UNA’s foremast roll off the boat and land heel first on the concrete garage floor. There was a, “Crack”. Never good. Initial examination revealed nothing. I secured the pole back on the trailer. Not long thereafter when putting the boat away, I heard a rattle when I set the mast down before setting, I hear a rattle. This time I discovered a 18″ split between 2 of the staves where the mast was solid. At the time I decided to monitor it and ordered a fiberglass sock to repair the damage, but didn’t.

Many sails later, I found myself holding onto UNA with two-reefs and needing a third. We were bashing against wind, current and seas to gain shelter in Pulpit Harbor on Deer Island. That split was front and center in my thoughts. Thankfully UNA came through, but I had haunting doubts next time. I needed to fix the mast.

Once home, it was obvious the crack had lengthened. Another problem was the mast would swell and stick in the step on occasion demanding wrestling and wiggling to unstep. Putting a plastic bag on the foot had solved that hassle for too long. So, I hand planed the heel and sanded the problem section with the ROS and 80 grit to 16″ above the deck. The stick was then saturated the wood with straight epoxy and 2 layers of the fiberglass sock were snugged on. Epoxy splashed everywhere. The 90 degree heat rapidly accelerated the epoxy’s flash point. I panicked and ran for packaging tape and saran wrap to hold the works in check.

plastic wrapped and encapsulated goo

After an overnight set, I cut and peeled the plastic off. Some had doubled onto itself and became embedded in the epoxy. There were also a few air bubble craters.

Most of plastic removedSome rapped plastic and pitting

Alternating stints with the belt and ROS sanders got things back smooth, though I questioned how presentable the fix would be.

Initial sanding. The itching begins.Snow on Labor Day?

Glad I donned a mask. Dust was everywhere. Wish I had worn long sleeves. The itching began. After wet sanding (kept dust down), the results improved. I thought I’d have to paint the mast.

Wet sanding gave hope for a varnish finish.

Some of the outside layer of fiberglass was sanded off, but only slightly. Most of the dust was resin. One more coat of epoxy, a quick light sanding and 3 coats of varnish gets us whole again. Glad to cross this one off the list and now I have more confidence in UNA’s defense against the next blow.

Like this:

After last week in Maine, this Virginia summer has been hard to take. However, each time I sail UNA, I always come back with lessons and frequently a few more things I’d like to fix/change. None of these things concern the design. They are generally tweaks of detail. One lingering item on the list regards the floor boards. Varnished douglas fir is treacherous. Sprinkling salt in the last coat eliminated the slip, but the floors always felt damp despite repeated scrubbing. The salt was expected to dissolve away. Since I lucked into some teak (can’t beat free), I thickness planed some boards, cut them to shape and routed their edges to replace those existing.

I like the results and they feel great under bare feet. The center bilge access boards remain. They look fine and I didn’t want to fix them yet. Too stinking hot!

New anchor box: Walmart flexible rectangular milk crate

Also, my previous anchor bag, a modified cotton laundry hamper, never dried out. Found a good practical substitute. As a bonus, it can double as a lobster pen on the next trip north! $5 a lobster was awesome.

I’ve loads of photos and videos to make sense of from our trip north so, stay tuned.

Like this:

UNA’s tent has gone through a number of evolutions, mostly in details. Originally designed to use the main mast as a ridge pole, it worked well. The wedge shape seems to hang downwind even with the mizzen furled. However there were some sacrifices (aside from not being my bed at home). The biggest loss was a dampening effect the raised mast has on a rolling boat. Even lowering the centerboard left too quick a rolling motion. Also, threading the velcro straps through footmans loops under the gunnel was easy on the pavement, but a hassle on the water. So, I replaced the loops with snaps. This works great. With snaps every 12″ I’ve a good setup for the boat cover I want to build.

I had raised the tent with the main halyard from a D ring while leaving the mast stepped, but there was too much sagging. Now I’ve solved that problem by pulling the tent from loops at both ends.

The last drawback was the amount of air (or rain) that might blow in from the forward opening. This we reduced by stuffing bags in the opening which was temporary at best. Now we have a separate mini tent over the bow which overlaps the main tent.

The end solution leaves only mosquito netting to figure out. In the meantime, we have an army netting that can be hung inside the tent or a Thermocell to repel the pests.

Tent with bow closureleather on bow tent for mooring or anchor line wear

after end of tent hung by halyard on mizzen and tensioned by string back to mast.Interior is a jumble, but has adequate sitting room aft of the thwart.

My sewing technique is not there yet, but with each project we’re improving. I’m happy with this solution. If a real blow is expected one night, hopefully I won’t be aboard, but if necessary, the setup can use the lowered main mast too. And should you need to escape fast, the snaps are not too difficult to release and open. Some mornings I’ll unsnap just a few starboard aft snaps to gain more headroom and scout the horizon while still being largely protected from the breeze while the coffee is brewing. Now we just need to find a new horizon.

Like this:

I’ve use terry cloth, folded felts, carpet, carpet with tee shirt, etc. Nothing saved the varnish on UNA’s gunwale from the torture of the trailer straps while on the road. So I think I’ve come up with a solution. I made a flat on the gunwale and screwed scraps of naval brass on. They are just proud of the gunwale surface and should do the trick.

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I’m sure as UNA ages her owner will favor more paint over varnish, but for now, he can’t “let her go”. One area of constant wear on the finish has been between the tiller extension and gunwale. Though the extension has a pronounced “hump” to clear the gunwale and smooth edges, it has regularly sawed off the rail’s finish. Just over an hour’s worth of work and $7 of scrap leather hopefully fixes the problem. For oar leathers, diamond hole chisels were purchased. Reused here, a long 30″ strip of suede was punched to be sewn onto the tiller.

chisel and scrap demo.

The strip width is 1/8″ shy of wrapping around the tiller. This allows one to draw the leather tight around the stick. Once punched, the leather was soaked in warm water for 10 minutes. Then the strip was dabbed dry and stitched with a double strand of waxed twine onto the tiller. Initially the stitches were on top of the stick. I moved them to the side before the leather dried too much. Looks better I think.

tiller extension with leather

close up

This should solve that problem. Now on to solving the slick floors with some anti-skid.

Like this:

We’ve got big plans for UNA this year. I feel that most of the detail bugs have been shaken from her. She could stand the extra coats of varnish that never made it in the build. And, added creature comforts like a boat tent, storage bags, oar pads, and reworked mizzen controls should enhance the experience. All of this and more will get a good evaluation on the water soon.

An afternoon last fall.

A final winter project will allow for more to come along. With plans for hauling UNA to places distant, I built a second tier onto her trailer after a quick model in SketchUp.

model

This “box kite” will allow more boats to roll with us. I can easily carry 3 kayaks high and a small dinghy (Gigi?) slung under the upper cross beams.

The box is constructed from 2x2x1/8 aluminum angle. I purchased 100′ in four 25′ lengths from B&G Metals east of town. Strong, light, fairly non-corrosive, and easily cut with a hacksaw, the frame went together quickly. 3/8″ SS bolts with washers and aircraft nuts hold it all together. Cross braces keep the whole thing rigid and square. 5/16″ square U bolts clamp the frame back to the trailer. Its not going anywhere. A second set of lights increase the rig’s visibility. At 6′ width, it meets the beam of the truck and still has an inch or two to let UNA slip through on the inside. Some left over from fixing up fiberglass edges of another now protects varnished outwales from metal angles. All tolled, not bad for $150, eh?

Looks distorted, but it is square!

Rubber gaskets slipped between the galvanized steel trailer and aluminum frame should deter corrosion between the dissimilar metals. For cushioning the top cross beams I may glue on some closed cell foam. Not sure yet.